3D and Your Vision

When modern digital 3D first hit the large and small screen, folks shouted sharply about their visual discomfort: headaches, eye strain, soreness, and nausea seemed to rule the day. Although some of those problems were due to poor stereographic techniques, the seminal research from the American Optometric Association (AOA) laid most of these concerns to rest: discomfort or the inability to see digital 3D without pesky symptoms was not the fault of the technology, but rather, the peculiarities of our own vision.  The 3D experience was, in fact, a quick and inexpensive test for healthy binocular vision. If you could experience the richness of 3D, your eyes worked like they were supposed to. If not, an underlying vision issue had just been brought to your attention.

With this revelation, the myth that the 3D experience was “bad for your eyes” or “bad for children” rapidly dissolved. With the launch of the AOA research, schools of optometry and vision health professional associations launched an aggressive multi-year training effort to bring the medical community up to speed in the diagnosis and treatment of what has become known as the 3D vision syndrome. And you knew it wouldn’t be long until that same vision revolution hit mobile devices. In next week’s post, we will introduce the work of a leading optometrist/vision therapist who is moving rapidly to bring 3D vision testing to the iPad, with great success. With a surprising educational twist.

Kill the 3D Zombies!

Whacking the Perennial Zombies

Some pesky vision health zombies just won’t die. I place these unwanted zombies into two categories: lessons we have forgotten or somehow unlearned; and lessons not yet learned.

Forgotten Lessons. At all major conferences, I see the same thing. Many exhibitors still don’t know how to show stereo 3D, auto-stereoscopic 3D, or 4K without causing nausea or discomfort. I have a higher tolerance than most, yet many 4K and 3D displays in exhibit halls are upsetting to watch. Have we forgotten? Just because the technology moves to mobile, auto-stereoscopic, virtual reality goggles, 4K or UHD display and beyond doesn’t mean vision issues just ‘disappear’. Would we rather have passersby wince and hurry away—or stop, savor, and inquire? That’s the bottom line. It’s all about the content, plainly. Showing furious rollercoaster rides, wild river rapid trips, or spiraling, head-turning motion is simply crazy. That sort of content conveys a hidden biological message to educators that the technology is somehow not ready for prime time. On the other hand, LG, Christie, zSpace, AVRover, DesignMate, Cyber-Anatomy, CubeDigico, and several other hardware/content manufacturers really know what they are doing. They push their video content out to passersby in a slower “savoring” mode, which is particularly appealing to the educational customer. 

Lessons Not Yet Learned. Over the last year, I have met with many of the innovators bringing new products, displays, and solutions to the ed market. My experience thus far is that they are largely unaware of the seminal AOA work found in See Well, Learn Well. Manufacturers cannot expect success if they are oblivious to vision health issues. And most innovators new to the 3D scene don’t have a satisfactory answer to the educator or consumer with the concern that “this gives me headaches” or “will this hurt my children?” (The common responses are dismissive: “don’t let those children use the technology”; or “there is no problem at all.”)

Just because 3D virtual reality headgear is cool, or auto-stereoscopic 3D content is eye-popping, that doesn’t make it impervious to what we know about the vision challenges of viewers.  The vision issue didn’t just go away with the advent of the next big technology. The takeaway here is that these companies will never sell 3D or other advanced display technologies well unless they also handle this vision health issue soundly.

3D Vision Health (1)

Several times a year I provide an update for our readers on 3D vision health issues. The pervasive myth that 3D is somehow bad for us, and our children, is a stubborn one. For that reason, we need constant reminders and fresh talking points. The release of the American Optometric Association’s seminal report on 3D vision health, See Well, Learn Well, went a long way to dispel some of these myths, but the misinformation challenge still persists. Here are some interesting developments:

NJIT Continues Research

There’s good information coming out of the New Jersey Institute of Technology these days. I am seeing interesting NJIT research, published dissertations, and experimental work focusing on using 3D in both diagnosis and treatment of visual disorders. NJIT seems to be a hotbed of enlightenment in this arena. See this link to learn more.

Right in Front of Our Eyes

Last winter, the graduate students of the University of Washington-Bothell developed their own child vision health project, through a full-day symposium entitled: “How Undetected Vision Issues Impact Student Learning.” This is an interesting project, one that suggests that 30% of certain low-income children groups experience vision health issues. Of course, modern 3D technologies sit at the nexus of diagnosis and treatment of the often hard-to-find vision challenges of children. And vision health is a strong determiner of successful learning. 

Webinar Reminder

Just a reminder! The SIG3D Webinar is tomorrow!

A uniquely informative webinar on the topic of 
3D and vision health in the classroom,

sponsored by ISTE SIG3D

“The Eyes Have It” features three expert speakers, a unique backchannel topic, and a vibrant question and answer session.  If you want to learn more about 3D in education, 3D in Vision, and how vision health intersects with a child’s ability to learn, you won’t want to miss this powerful educational experience. Join us at the contemporary crossroads of health and educational technology.

When:            Tuesday, January 21

Time:              8:oo p.m. ET /  7:00 p.m. CT /  6:00 p.m. MT /  5:00 p.m. PT

Length:          1 hour (30 minutes of presentation followed by Q&A)

Register:        Register for this event at this SIG3D webinar registration link

Webinar Presenters

Dr. Jeri Schneebeck, O.D., F,C.O.V.D.,

Dr. Schneebeck received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado in Boulder and her professional degree from Pacific University College of Optometry.  Dr. Schneebeck is a fellow of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development, the organization certifying optometrists specializing in the area of vision therapy.  She recently achieved the title of Diplomate, American Board of Optometry. She has received the Distinguished Service Award from the Colorado Optometric Association for her service to the profession of optometry.  She was coauthor of the published article:   “Doctor, Ergonomic Thyself”, Journal of Behavioral Optometry, Volume 15, 2004, Number 4, coauthored with Rebecca Hutchins, O.D.  Dr. Schneebeck provides consulting and screening services for area schools and frequently speaks to parent, teacher, and professional groups on vision-related subjects.  Dr. Schneebeck operates the Highline Vision Center , in Aurora (CO), specializing in the use of modern 3D technology in the diagnosis and treatment of visual disorders.

Dr. Jacinta Yeung, O.D., M.Ed in Visual Function in Learning

Dr. Yeung started her undergraduate studies at the University of Alberta in her hometown of Edmonton, Canada. She received her Bachelors of Visual Sciences and Doctor of Optometry Degree from Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR. In conjunction with her optometry degree, Dr. Yeung achieved a Masters in Education in Visual Function in Learning (M.Ed/VFL) from the College of Education at Pacific University. This degree was designed to extend an optometrist's knowledge in how vision is related to reading and learning, and allow optometrists to consult with teachers regarding students with learning related vision problems. Dr. Yeung was awarded the Tole Greenstein Award for clinical excellence in binocular vision and pediatrics. She also received the BSK Chapter Award for Exceptional Research in 2013. 

Len Scrogan, Digital Learning Architect, University of Colorado-Denver

A former teacher, principal, and technology director for the Boulder Valley Schools, Len was named Outstanding Technology Administrator in the state of Colorado in 2009. Len is currently a Digital Learning Architect and author of Digital Shapeshifter, a book on creative visual teaching and learning. Len is a professor at  the University of Colorado-Denver and also a blogger, TEDx speaker, and recognized ed-tech author and speaker. He is a co-author of the American Optometric Association’s seminal report on 3D in the classroom, See Well, Learn Well. Len serves as the online community manager for LinkedIn’s Stereo 3D Media and Technology online community of 8,000 members. Recently, he served as a national judge for the Technology & Learning 2013 software awards and is currently a software reviewer for Technology & Learning magazine. Len is also a board member for the new ISTE SIG3D interest group and a member of the COSN Emerging Technologies Committee.

Zombie Apocalypse

Last week we continued the discussion about the recent problem with Apple’s new iPhone iOS7 making people sick. In the first post of this four-part series, I suggested that the real story is about a lesson not yet learned, in fact, about two lessons not yet learned. This week's post focuses on lesson #2.

Lesson #2: The 3D experience can provide an indicator of underlying vision problems.

Now, if you read the recent post of Christopher Mims, Hurl into this! Digital motion sickness will be the occupational disease of the 21st century, you would certainly imagine a new world threat has arrived on the scene; or at least, that the zombie apocalypse is upon us. He complains: “I get headaches at 3D movies and motion sick at the slightest provocation.” Apparently, the newest Apple 3D parallax feature comes right at the heels of previous and wanton 3D destruction. He warns of a new zombie apocalypse: “the 21st century is going to be one you’ll want to spend hiding from just about every kind of innovation in human-computer interfaces.” Mr. Mims is recognizing a genuine problem, but he is partially misinformed.

Perhaps Dr. Dominick Maino (OD, MEd, FAAO, FCOVD-A), an internationally recognized expert in pediatrics/binocular vision at the Illinois College of Optometry/Illinois Eye Institute, explains it best: "Vision induced motion sickness has been recognized for decades. It is frequently called "See Sickness" or Neuro-Ocular Vestibular Dysfunction. Many experience blurred vision, diplopia, headache, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, malaise, and drowsiness.”

Further Dr. Maino advises that such symptoms are treatable and therefore avoidable:  “It can be successfully diagnosed and treated by an optometrist specifically trained to evaluate the functional capabilities of your vision. These optometrists can be found at http://www.covd.org.” He recommends reviewing an excellent presentation/discussion on this topic at: http://visionhelp.wordpress.com/2011/07/10/the-see-sick-syndrome-when-visual-dysfunction-causes-motion-sickness/" Sometimes the solution is as simple as tweaking your contact or glass prescriptions, as is the case with many adults. Sometimes it can be resolved with vision correction (eyeglasses), vision therapy, or a combination of both.

Dr. Jeri Schneebeck (Optometrist, F.C.O.V.D), a highly respected Colorado vision expert and owner of Colorado’s only 3D vision lab, knows that this is not just about poor 3D design:  “It’s about vision,” she confirms.  In fact, the day I interviewed her about this Apple issue, she was reminded that she just had a patient complain to her today that she had a significant vision problem with her new iPhone, and had returned it to the store. Zeroing in on understanding this new Apple iPhone parallax issue, another Colorado optometrist, Dr. Jacinta Yeung (OD, MEd/VFL), observes: “I'm not sure I can pinpoint exactly which part of the visual system would ‘cause’ this discomfort. It is probably a combination of factors but it would be nice to evaluate a group of these individuals to see if there is a common weakness in their visual system.”  She has also heard of patients reporting this problem. In the meantime, folks are turning off the effect.

So here we are again, revisiting the vision health issues identified in some of my past posts. Most notably, I want to point our readers to two predictions I made for the year 2013 in my post, Whither eS3D:

• The vision health issue will struggle to receive the attention it deserves due to inability of the medical community to employ effective marketing and PR strategies.
• The struggle to debunk 3D mythologies (3D is bad for you, it makes everyone sick, it hurts children) won’t go away. We’ll still have to wrestle with those unfortunate media-generated sound bites for some time.

Yes, we still have our work cut out for us. Mr. Mims was correct in some ways: Poorly designed 3D can cause problems, all by itself. You have to pay attention to these things, Apple. But he was totally off base in terms of the bigger picture of 3D and vision health. These hurtful zombies keep coming back to life. We just have to stop feeding them. Maybe it’s time to bite back.

Small Miracles

It’s been some time since I’ve offered a posting on the topic of 3D and vision health, so please allow me to take a brief side journey back to the world of optometry and the importance of 3D in vision health. It is important to revisit this theme because the negative mythology associated with 3D is still so stubbornly apparent.

In fact, just this last week I read a movie review, written by a well-known critic, who repeated two stubborn myths:

1. "How uncomfortable cardboard 3D glasses are." (Folks, we don’t use those any more); and 
2. "I get headaches when viewing 3D" (My dear friend, read the research.  Such symptoms  serve as an indicator of an underlying vision problem, one which can be successfully addressed by your optometrist or vision therapist)

In combatting these unfortunate misconceptions, we need every good story we can find. And here are two good stories, worth your time:

Can a movie change your life?

Awoken from a 2D world.

These stories give you a reason to teach with the 3D tools you’ve come to love  or sell the 3D resources you sell. These stories help dispel the stubborn myth that 3D is somehow harmful. One story, one miracle at a time—we will see the change.

San D (2)

As discussed in the previous post, 3D is really taking off in Asian and other emerging markets. Since many of our regular blog readers come from these emerging markets, I thought a thoughtful reminder, presented via a simple mystery, might be beneficial: Can you see anything peculiar in this snapshot of the first showing of Titanic 3D in Shanxi, China? Click on it to enlarge it. 

What's Wrong with this Picture?

Leonard Press, a well-known optometrist, recently observed in his blog that a number of people are watching the film without glasses.  He explains, when “you’re experiencing one of the 3Ds of stereoscopic 3D viewing—discomfort, dizziness, or lack of depth—one way to cope is to simply watch without the 3D glasses – but the experience is clearly not the same and most likely is out of focus due to the effects necessary to create 3D-ness for your movie-going neighbors.”

Again, and this time internationally speaking, our educational challenges remain constant. We know from the research that 3D is not harmful in any way. But some people do experience discomfort, which actually is an indication of underlying vision problems, not necessarily a problem with the 3D. For a complete resource on understanding the role of 3D in vision health and vision screening, see this well-travelled Future-Talk 3D post.

Teaching with Depth

Grasping for words. In search of just-the-right language. Looking for richer metaphors. These best describe what has been occupying my think time in recent months. You see, the expression ‘3D’ carries a lot of unwanted baggage. 

For most, the expression ‘3D’ conjures to their minds little more than movies—‘pokey’ entertainment.  Some people immediately associate the term ‘3D’ with architectural drawings (CAD), Google Earth, gaming, or other types of “rendered 3D” objects or scenescapes. Then there’s a well-known film critic, who speaks for many, in suggesting that “‘3D—it just makes me sick.” (He was unaware of the research findings that indicate his discomfort is caused by underlying vision issues, which are easily addressable. But that’s another story.) For many others, ‘3D’ is simply not a part of their generation and therefore not on their radar.

Using the term “stereo 3D” doesn’t seem to help either. Adding that double-fisted adjective merely adds a pinch of technophobe seasoning to the mix. No, I’ve been looking for a kinder, gentler pathway. So far, I have settled on the following:

Teaching and learning with DEPTH is a pleasant way to describe how we use 3D in educational settings. It’s an expression that is, at once, both hopeful and free of the past, largely unwarranted, baggage. So far, it seems to resonate well with educators and educational conference leaders. 

Do you have any similar musings? Other ways to word the notion of the 3D experience? Please post them as a comment below.

3D Vision Basics

The 'old' way

The 'new' way

If you are a bit unfamiliar with the role of 3D in supporting vision health and improved learning for children, you may want to watch this short video of James Sheedy, O.D., Ph.D., explaining how 3D viewing helps diagnose vision problems. It was filmed in Chicago during the American Optometric Association’s annual membership conference. It also addresses the importance of our natural 3D vision in successful student learning.

Also, watch the rough video below to see an example of how TrueVision uses 3D in eye surgery education to show clarity and depth:

3D Vision News

For the first time in history, the Opening General Session for Optometry’s Meeting® in Chicago in the last week of June featured an educational 3D experience led by a number of Hollywood dignitaries. The audience included attending doctors of optometry, students, paraoptometrics, and their families. (For perspective, there are over 60,000 optometrists in the United States alone.)

At the opening session, 3D experts Jim Chabin (president of the International 3D Society), Buzz Hayes (senior vice president and executive stereoscopic 3D producer for Sony 3D Technology Center at Sony Pictures Entertainment), Graham Clark (StereoD, LLC), and Bob Whitehill (stereoscopic supervisor at Pixar Animation Studios) demonstrated and explained the concepts of 3D as it pertains to the entertainment world. They showed 3D clips from films such as “The Lion King,” “Rise of the Guardians,” “Spiderman” and “Titanic”, among others. Many of these clips have never been seen outside their studios. 

Jim Chabin, president
of the International 3D Society

Jim Chabin, the president of the International 3D Society, stated “We ask your help in making sure stereo deficiencies are corrected.” Chabin continued, “We hope amblyopia rates can be reduced and decimated. We hope your practices can provide appropriate diagnoses. You are important partners in 3D; you are the first responders.”

Why was this event so important? Simply stated, the science behind stereoscopic 3D is an essential step to increased understanding of 3D and stereoscopic 3D (S3D) viewing as a safe and appropriate technology for all audiences.  As the popularity of 3D rises, so too will optometry’s responsibility to educate the public and assist the production studios and other 3D developments. As Jim Chabin suggests, optometrists are the nation’s 3D “first responders.” For that reason, this opening session was clearly a landmark educational opportunity.

The Opening General Session was followed by a number of educational sessions focused on the topic of 3D vision/diagnosis/treatment, along with a very comprehensive Saturday symposium on the 3D experience.  During the Saturday symposium, optometric professionals had the opportunity to take a journey through the entire process of 3D, plus experience the first-ever live, heads –up, 3D slit lamp exam demonstration (a diagnostic technology developed by TrueVision). Anthony Lopez, a 3rd year student of optometry was in the audience and was fortunate to be the “first ever optometry student” to experience a slit lamp exam using this new 3D technology. There is clearly a promising role for 3D in the world of optometric diagnosis and treatment. 

Vision Health News

Here's some timely 3D vision health news from around the country:

Have you seen your optometrist lately?

VPI Research Conference Held. The Vision Performance Institute of Pacific University launched a major symposium focused on 3D vision health. Their 6th Annual Research Conference, was held in Oregon early June, and was entirely focused on providing current vision health information to researchers, medical folks, manufacturers, developers and practitioners alike. I spoke at this event and will share some interesting findings in a future post.

American Optometric Association. The AOA 2012 Optometry’s Meeting was held in Chicago at the end of June, offering four major sessions on 3D vision. The last session was a full day mini-conference called “The 3D Experience: Your Opportunity.” The AOA is getting serious about reaching their own ranks, as well as incoming optometry students, as they launch a two-year effort to spread the positive and important public health news. And the good news is: the seminars were packed with pre-registrations! That's very good news.

COVD 2012. Visual therapists (COVD) are also lining up to provide key educational sessions focused on 3D viewing and the use of 3D in treatment therapies at their annual conference, being held in August in Texas. 

If you are missing the context of previous posts on the topic of 3D and vision health, here are the basics: viewing 3D—in theaters, on home television sets, on game consoles, and in our nation’s classrooms—appears to serve as one of the most reliable and effective vision screeners ever offered. It's apparently far more effective than the standard eye-chart test. You see, 3D projected images can now be used as a universal public health screening tool for vision problems that previously went undetected. See this post for information from the American Optometric Association about the benefits of 3D vision.

Opportunity Calls

This is a message primarily for 3D technology companies (hardware and software manufacturers, integrators, and resellers).

The Opportunity

You are invited to participate in a dynamic optometric educational session at the American Optometric Association's annual conference, being held in Chicago on June 30^th, 2012. The details of this opportunity are detailed in the document embedded below, along with contact information.

                                    Open publication - Free publishing - More 3d

The Business Case

There are two distinct benefits associated with this opportunity:

First, this is an opportunity to reach an elite group of consumers and their families. Optometrists are in the top 12.5 percent of households per total money income according to U.S. census data and the AOA’s Income from Optometry survey.

Second, this event also represents an opportunity to make sure doctors of optometry are sharing the message you would like consumers to hear—not only that 3D/S3D viewing is a safe and appropriate technology for all audiences, but that it can also uncover treatable vision problems.

Why It Matters

In 2011, efforts to increase awareness of the health benefits of 3D viewing resulted in more than a billion media impressions. But according to the AOA’s 2011 American Eye-Q® survey, there is still work to be done dispelling myths. Parents still reported some concern about the effects of 3D technology, with:

• 53 percent of respondents, whose children are 18 or younger, believe 3D viewing is harmful to a child's vision or eyes 
• 29 percent feel very concerned that their child may damage their eyes due to prolonged use of computers or hand-held electronic devices 

Don’t miss this chance to ensure your message reaches consumers through the collaborative strength of the American Optometric Association (AOA) and 3D@Home consortium. 

The Eyes Have It

On June 6^th and 7^th, the Vision Performance Institute is offering a seminal 3D educational experience that will be of interest to 3D educators, software developers, hardware manufacturers, and literati alike: their 6^th Annual Research Conference. 


This conference will feature topics such as

• vision ergonomics
• defining 3D content quality
• vision care
• S3D in the classroom
• S3D in public health
• and much more

At the conference, I will be moderating a panel, but will also offer an informative presentation on what is different about educational 3D content (eS3D), exactly how we use it in the classroom, what the research is suggesting to us, and key research questions your organization should examine in future case studies.

I strongly encourage the audience of this blog (and especially our strong international audience) to find a way to attend this conference. It will lend a competitive advantage to all of your hard work and efforts in this field. Below is the flyer. I hope to see you there.

Open publication - Free publishing - More 3d

On the Road Again

I’m doing quite a bit of presenting on 3D in education over the next six months. Here is a current list of my schedule and topics, in case you are interested in attending. If you are in the vicinity, it’s also always a good excuse for an opportunity to meet, get some coffee, and have some conversation.

Conference	Month and Location	Topic(s)
TCEA	February, Austin TX	5 Workshop: When 3D Comes to School 5 Teaching in 3D: Ten Reasons Why it Works, Why it Matters
Colorado Conversations	February, Wheat Ridge, CO	5 Evaluating Technology Initiatives
COSN	March, Washington, D.C.	5 Teaching in 3D: Ten Reasons Why it Works, Why it Matters 5 21st Century Teaching with New Media 5 Evaluating Technology Initiatives
Vision Performance Institute, Pacific University	June, Forest Grove, OR	5 3D in Education
3D Comm	June, Las Vegas, NV	5 Remapping for 2012: 3D and the Education Market Space
Colorado TIE 2012	June, Copper Mt., CO	5 Cultivating Your Donkey Cam Kung Fu
ISTE 2012	June, San Diego, CA	5 Teaching in 3D: Ten Reasons Why it Works, Why it Matters 5 Workshop: When 3D Comes to School
American Optometric Association	June, Chicago, IL	5 Panel: 3D in Education